Typically, a large work vehicle, such as a tractor or a combine, includes a service ladder that provides the vehicle operator access from the ground to upper portions of the vehicle. For example, service ladders for work vehicles may be often used to access a service platform located on the side of the cab. As such, the vehicle operator may climb up the service ladder and onto the service platform to perform various service/maintenance operations, such as cleaning the cab's windshield, adjusting the position of mirrors/lights and/or performing any other suitable service/maintenance operations.
Most conventional service ladders are fixedly coupled to the portion of the vehicle's fuel tank that extends along the side of the work vehicle between the front and rear wheels. However, to allow for the vehicle operator to step-up onto the bottom rung of such service ladders, the bottom rung must be positioned well below the bottom of the fuel tank. As such, the bottom portion of the ladder typically extends beyond the lowest portion of the work vehicle, which may result in the ladder contacting and/or damaging crops and/or other objects passing under the vehicle during operation. In addition, for service ladders fixedly coupled to the fuel tank, the ladder must be spaced apart from the fuel tank to allow the vehicle operator sufficient toe clearance to utilize the ladder, thereby increasing the likelihood of the ladder contacting and/or damaging crops and/or other objects passing along the side of the work vehicle during operation.
To avoid at least one of the issues described above, some work vehicles include service ladders molded directly into the fuel tank. For example, fuel tanks are known that include large cavities molded into the side of the tank along a vertical column, with each cavity defining a step of the service ladder. However, such molded features significantly reduce the fuel capacity of the fuel tank.
Accordingly, a ladder assembly for a work vehicle that addresses one, some or all of the issues described above with respect to conventional service ladders would be welcomed in the technology